I wrote in the introduction to the Slow Guide to Melbourne that the quarterly 'mook' (half magazine-half book), Dumbo Feather, was an inspiration and it absolutely continues to be. I was invited to a DF social night in Melbourne recently and was buoyed by the camaraderie and generosity of spirit among the 50 or so people there. Visit slowly does it to read the beautiful responses evoked by a book giveaway in the new Dumbo Feather newsletter. It's a lovely introduction to the community this relentlessly positive and delightfully creative enterprise is bringing together. And the new edition of Dumbo Feather, pass it on, celebrating ordinary people who do extraordinary things, has just landed in stores and newsagents.

Is it any coincidence that the best tasting food usually takes longer to cook? Vegetables slow roasted are not only better for you they preserve flavour. Bread is better when it is given extra time to rise and patience when marinating is a culinary virtue.

It's unfortunate that the age of microwaves and tupperware our food has also begun to taste like plastic. I find cooking joyful rather than a daily chore. Last winter I discovered home made soups from my mum's high school cooking textbook: the kind that take half a day to cook. After many adventures, my favourite ended up being tomato, a revelation in my narrow world of Heinz big red.

It was deeply satisfying to put my vegetables on to bubble and murmur away for a couple of hours, occasionally slurping at my brew and simply absorbing the warmth and good smells that filled the house. I don't consider myself a gourmand or talented cook, but I surprise myself with the food I can make from scratch, with fresh ingredients and my own hands.

I am one of the wretched that loads themselves up with too many projects and then loses themselves in the business (busy-ness... coincidence? I think not) of it all. But I'm increasingly putting more time aside to cook, by myself and with friends. There is something deeply nurturing about it. In fact, I have started inviting friends over not so much to eat, but to cook with me, the journey of cooking the food being just as fulfilling as the end goal (fulfilling; full-filling: i was once told that eating slower is better for you as well, as you feel full faster).

My latest food excursion away from the world: taking time to sit and eat an orange with my hands.

Aimee (21 year old brisbane-dwelling student amused by small things)